Lander's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Lander in Seismic Design Category C: Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Rank it against the rest of the country and Lander sits at the 78th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Lander by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Lander: 0.224g peak ground acceleration, 0.364g at short period, 0.089g at 1 second. Within Wyoming alone, Lander ranks 3 of 16 cities by seismic hazard - the 87th percentile in-state. Lander has a population of about 7,451.

What a retrofit costs in Lander

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Wyoming specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Wyoming.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Lander homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Lander's figures come from

Lander's Category C and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category C does and doesn't tell you about Lander.